Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T13:31:27.330Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Studying Abroad in the Dominican Republic: Preparing Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teachers for 21st-Century Classrooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2018

Shondel J. Nero*
Affiliation:
New York Universityshondel.nero@nyu.edu

Abstract

This article describes the conception, goals, design, and evaluation of a 3-week study abroad program in the Dominican Republic for preservice teachers at New York University to address cultural diversity in teacher education. Taking a critical approach to teacher education and drawing on four interrelated areas of research—second language acquisition, study abroad, culturally responsive pedagogy, and intercultural competence—the program sought to deepen teachers’ understanding of their students’ cultures, develop empathy toward language learning, and promote culturally responsive pedagogy. Program evaluation revealed that participants developed more critical understandings of the Dominican language, culture, and education system, which they could harness to practice culturally responsive pedagogy.

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language Teaching, 36 (2), 81109. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444803001903Google Scholar
Diao, W., Freed, B., & Smith, L. (2011). Confirmed beliefs or false assumptions? A study of home stay experiences in the French study abroad context. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 21, 109142.Google Scholar
Di Silvio, F., Donovan, A., & Malone, M. E. (2014). The effect of study abroad homestay placements: Participant perspectives and oral proficiency gains. Foreign Language Annals, 47 (1), 168188.Google Scholar
García, O. (2017). Critical multilingual language awareness and teacher education. In Cenoz, J., Gorter, D., & May, S. (Eds.). Encyclopedia of language and education: Language awareness and multilingualism (3rd ed., pp. 263280). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International.Google Scholar
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Hammer, M. (1999). A measure of intercultural sensitivity: The Intercultural Development Inventory. In Fowler, S. & Mumford, M. (Eds.). The intercultural sourcebook, vol. 2. (pp. 6172). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.Google Scholar
Hawkins, M., & Norton, B. (2009). Critical language teacher education. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards (Eds.). The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 3039). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Lustig, M., & Koester, J. (2010). Intercultural competence: Intercultural communication across cultures (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). The condition of education 2016 (NCES Report No. 2016–144). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.Google Scholar
Doors, Open. (2017). Destinations. Institute of International Education. Retrieved from https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/US-Study-Abroad/DestinationsGoogle Scholar
Schmidt-Rinehart, B. C., & Knight, S. M. (2004). The homestay component of study abroad: Three perspectives. Foreign Language Annals, 37, 254262.Google Scholar
U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). Statistical abstract of the United States, 2012. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/education.htmlGoogle Scholar